Walter Bobbie – Great Performanceshttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf
The best in the performing arts from across America.Fri, 09 Dec 2016 19:56:53 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1 Production Creditshttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/south-pacific-in-concert-from-carnegie-hall-production-credits/119/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/south-pacific-in-concert-from-carnegie-hall-production-credits/119/#disqus_threadWed, 26 Apr 2006 20:08:26 +0000http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/?p=119The post Production Credits appeared first on Great Performances.
]]>Performers

Thirteen Online is a production of Thirteen/WNET New York’s Kravis Multimedia Education Center in New York City. Anthony Chapman, Director of Interactive & Broadband. Bob Adleman, Business Manager. Carmen DiRienzo, Vice President and Managing Director, Corporate Affairs.

About the Writer

Thomas S. Hischak is the author of 15 books on theater, film, and popular music, including THE OXFORD COMPANION TO AMERICAN THEATRE (3rd edition) and AMERICAN THEATRE: A CHRONICLE (Oxford University Press); THEATRE AS HUMAN ACTION, THROUGH THE SCREEN DOOR, BOY LOSES GIRL: BROADWAY’S LIBRETTISTS, and ENTER THE PLAYERS (Scarecrow Press); AMERICAN PLAYS AND MUSICALS ON SCREEN (McFarland); THE TIN PAN ALLEY SONG ENCYCLOPEDIA, THE THEATREGOER’S ALMANAC, and WORD CRAZY: BROADWAY LYRICISTS FROM COHAN TO SONDHEIM (Greenwood Press). He is professor of theater at the State University of New York College at Cortland and the author of 20 published plays.

Television Credits

“SOUTH PACIFIC” IN CONCERT FROM CARNEGIE HALL

Music by
Richard Rodgers

Lyrics by
Oscar Hammerstein II

Book by
Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan

Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel
TALES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC by James A. Michener

Carnegie Hall would like to thank Deloitte, as well as Leni and Peter May and family, The Alice Tully Foundation, The Rodgers Family Foundation, and Alice Hammerstein Mathias, whose generous support made the performance of “South Pacific” possible.

The contents of these GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages are copyrighted under United States and other copyright laws. You may not download, reproduce, transmit, display, distribute or make derivative works from the contents of the GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages other than for personal use without the advance written permission of the copyright owner. Any unauthorized use of any of the contents of the GREAT PERFORMANCES Online Web pages may result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.

Brian Stokes Mitchell, the dashing baritone and acclaimed actor in several Broadway productions, plays the French planter Emile de Becque in the concert version of “South Pacific.” Mitchell was born in Seattle and grew up on naval bases in Guam and the Philippines, where his father was a civilian engineer for the military. He began acting professionally in regional theaters in California before finding notice on the television series TRAPPER JOHN, M.D. He first appeared on Broadway in the short-lived musicals “Mail” and “Oh, Kay!,” then replaced others in major roles in “Jelly’s Last Jam” and “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” Mitchell became a Broadway star with his passionate performance as the piano player-turned-radical Coalhouse Walker in “Ragtime,” which he followed up with leading roles in revivals of “Kiss Me, Kate” and “Man of La Mancha.” He has also shone in plays, most memorably on Broadway as King in August Wilson’s “King Hedley II,” and frequently performs in concerts and special performances, such as the Sondheim Festival at the Kennedy Center, where he appeared in “Sweeney Todd.”

GREAT PERFORMANCES: How familiar were you with “South Pacific” and the character of Emile de Becque before you worked on this Carnegie Hall concert?

Brian Stokes Mitchell: I had never seen the musical on stage or a complete film version on television, but I knew bits and pieces of the story and had constructed the plot in my mind. But when I read the script I realized the plot I had imagined was completely wrong. I did know the music, though. That I was very familiar with.

GP: Emile is usually played as a distinguished, somewhat distant man of the world who is very confident of himself. A nice contrast to the extroverted but insecure Nellie Forbush. But your Emile seemed much more approachable — a vulnerable, very human man with a lot to lose. How did you approach the character?

BSM: At first I thought he was a rather uninteresting character. I knew he had usually been played by singers, not actors, and I didn’t think there was much depth there. But working on the piece, I realized that Emile is indeed vulnerable and, yes, he has a lot to lose. Then I found him an incredibly interesting man. Here he is alone in the world, raising two kids without a wife, and he meets this woman so unlike himself. It’s quite a challenge for him to act on his feelings for her. The stakes are high.

GP: As with Emile in “South Pacific,” you’ve played several classic musical theater roles in revivals: Petruchio/Fred in “Kiss Me, Kate,” Cervantes/Don Quixote in “Man of La Mancha,” Sweeney Todd. These roles were created by famous actor-singers and their original performances are also considered classics. Does this intimidate you?

BSM: Not at all. Like most of the audience, I never saw most of these famous performances. I’ve heard the recordings, but I don’t have this specific picture in my mind. I approach the character with my own point of view and don’t worry about how he was played in the past by such and such a performer. When I was preparing “Kiss Me, Kate,” I did go to the Museum of Broadcasting and watched an old kinescope of Alfred Drake doing the role on a television special. It was interesting, but I didn’t feel any need to try to copy him. I have one advantage over the great performers who created these classic roles: with the microphone, I can do some subtle things with the songs that may not have been possible when the actor had to fill the house with his voice.

GP: You’ve done long runs on Broadway and short, limited runs as well. “South Pacific” was a one-night-only special event. Is it exciting to be part of such a gala happening or is it frustrating not getting to play the piece over a period of time?

BSM: The answer is yes. It is very frustrating and yet it is thrilling at the same time. Usually I don’t feel comfortable with a character until I’ve played him before an audience for several performances. It is not until after three months of performing that I learn to discover what I call all the nooks and crannies of the person. With the Encores! concerts and special one-night programs, such as this one at Carnegie Hall, everything is special. You still have scripts in your hand, you’ve only worked with the orchestra briefly, and much of your energy is to get it right and not fall on your face. At the same time, it is a thrilling experience. In some ways it was the perfect way to do “South Pacific,” because no Broadway production could assemble that cast, that large orchestra, over and over again.

GP: With your performance as Coalhouse Walker in “Ragtime,” you got to create a new, classic role in musical theater. Are you sent new material all the time?

BSM: I am sometimes offered new scripts. I’m still looking for that great opportunity to create a new role, such as Coalhouse Walker. But such a prize role does not come often. When it does … that’s something very special.

Interview by Thomas Hischak for GREAT PERFORMANCES Online conducted in April 2006.

]]>http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/south-pacific-in-concert-from-carnegie-hall-interview-brian-stokes-mitchell-actor/120/feed/8 Essay: A New Challenge for Not-So-New Talentshttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/south-pacific-in-concert-from-carnegie-hall-essay-a-new-challenge-for-not-so-new-talents/118/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/south-pacific-in-concert-from-carnegie-hall-essay-a-new-challenge-for-not-so-new-talents/118/#disqus_threadWed, 26 Apr 2006 20:00:22 +0000http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/?p=118The post Essay: A New Challenge for Not-So-New Talents appeared first on Great Performances.
]]>

Joe Sinnott-Thirteen/WNET New York

The year 1949 found Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein at a crossroads in their collaboration. They had enjoyed outstanding success together with “Oklahoma!” (1943) and “Carousel” (1945) on stage and with STATE FAIR (1945) on the screen, but they had stumbled awkwardly with “Allegro” (1947) on Broadway. The ambitious, experimental work had much to recommend it, but Hammerstein’s original book was too scattered to satisfy audiences and critics. The team needed to reestablish their reputation as Broadway’s premiere creators of the musical play. James Michener’s series of World War II stories titled “Tales of the South Pacific” seemed like an ideal vehicle, rich with distinctive characters, exotic locales, and potent themes. Yet “South Pacific” would break away from the established Rodgers and Hammerstein model in many ways.

First of all, the team was known for re-creating Americana on stage. These tales were set in a foreign land and, while most of the characters were American, they were reacting to situations that were far from homespun. Second, Hammerstein was an expert at dramatizing novels and plays for the musical stage, but Michener’s book consisted of short stories, not one of which could sustain a full-length musical drama by itself. But Hammerstein rose to the occasion and, working closely with co-librettist and director Joshua Logan, took characters and plots from three of the stories and fashioned them into a coherent, unified libretto. Another anomaly about “South Pacific” is that it was the first (and one of the few) Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals written for established stars. Although their previous Broadway efforts had helped launch the careers of Alfred Drake, Celeste Holm, John Raitt, and Lisa Kirk, those earlier musicals featured no names above the title. The musical itself was the star. But “South Pacific” was written and composed with Broadway belter Mary Martin and Metropolitan Opera bass Ezio Pinza specifically in mind. The pairing of two such voices was so unusual in Broadway tradition that the writers wisely kept the two stars from singing simultaneously until close to the end of the first act, figuring that audiences would accept the combination once they were involved with the stars as characters and not merely as singers. The captivating duet “Twin Soliloquies” early in the show is simply that: two separate solos that alternate, giving the illusion of a rhapsodic operetta duet without any vocal overlapping.

But of all the challenges facing Rodgers and Hammerstein in their new venture, the most daunting was theme. Racial prejudice had only rarely been the issue in a Broadway musical. Jerome Kern’s and Hammerstein’s “Show Boat” (1927) evoked the plight of African Americans in the post-Civil War South, the Gershwins tackled similar themes in “Porgy and Bess” (1935), and E. Y. Harburg, Fred Saidy, and associates took on slavery and segregation in their mocking Civil War musical “Bloomer Girl” (1944) and their satiric fantasy “Finian’s Rainbow” (1947). While the ache of prejudice and oppression served as the background for these musicals, it was central in “South Pacific.” Consider the fact that this was the first Rodgers and Hammerstein musical with no villain of any kind. The world is at war and there is conflict all around, but one cannot say that the real enemy in “South Pacific” is the Japanese military. No character in the musical attempts to harm, hinder, or provoke any other character. Yet, all dramas need a protagonist and an antagonist. “South Pacific” is no exception, but the conflicts in this musical are internal. The deep-seated prejudice that lies within nurse Nellie Forbush and Lieutenant Joe Cable provide the complications. These two are threatened by no one but their own prejudices, fears, and traditional way of thinking. “South Pacific” is the first (and remains one of the very few) musicals to draw its emotional power not merely from a love story, but from a cruel, unbending inner doubt.

While Nellie and Cable are both Americans, each caught in a romance with a foreign and questionable love, they suffer from different kinds of prejudice. Nellie comes from the segregated South; a spunky Arkansas girl, she is not highly educated, but is not afraid to be thought of as different. One reason she left home and got involved in the war was her discontent with the narrow-minded view of the world that surrounded her. The other nurses tease her for her “cockeyed” optimism, and she seems game for ‘most any adventure. Falling in love with the eloquent, sophisticated French planter Emile de Becque is an adventure, and her only doubts about the romance come from wondering what such an intelligent gent sees in a “little hick” like herself. But when she finds out about Emile’s previous marriage and is confronted with the idea that she might be stepmother to two Polynesian children, the adventure becomes too rough and her Arkansas background kicks in. Her overriding love for Emile (especially when she fears that he has died on the dangerous mission she drove him to) helps her conquer her prejudices. Cable, on the other hand, is a college-educated Northerner from a wealthy family and has a pretty good sense about how the world operates. He should, one would think, be more prepared to deal with prejudice. After all, he is no hick; he is the enlightened American, dedicated to a cause, selfless in his outlook, and willing to die for something important. Yet he cannot see himself breaking with his Philadelphia Main Line fiancée and returning to America with a Polynesian wife. That takes too much courage, even for a war hero. Cable, in the musical’s most potent and bitter song, argues that “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” to carry on your ancestors’ prejudice. He can describe, calculate, and even explain his prejudice; what he cannot do is overcome it until it’s too late.

The theme of prejudice in “South Pacific” is not subtle and was not meant to be merely suggested or mildly alluded to. During final rehearsals, some acquaintances of the collaborators suggested to Rodgers and Hammerstein that “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” be cut, fearing that it might turn off or even antagonize audiences. Hammerstein said they might as well cancel the whole production if safe complacency was the goal. The song remained in the show and yes, it did (and still does) turn off and even antagonize some spectators. During the first national tour, “South Pacific” ran into trouble from locals over the song and the show had to avoid cities where its deletion was required. Although the lack of racial tolerance in the musical is about Asians, its pertinence to all kinds of prejudice was not lost on anyone.

Today, some like to dismiss Rodgers and Hammerstein’s handling of such difficult issues in “South Pacific” as simplistic. Nellie overcomes her doubts and ends up with Emile; Cable cannot conquer his and he dies. Is that begging the question or just finding a dramatic way of saying something potent within the framework of a musical entertainment? We like to pride ourselves on believing we are more tolerant and see the issues of race with a more complex understanding today. But how many of us would have had the courage to do in 1949 what Rodgers and Hammerstein did in “South Pacific”?

“SOUTH PACIFIC” IN CONCERT FROM CARNEGIE HALL premiered on April 26, 2006 on PBS (check local listings).

Based on James Michener’s Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of short stories TALES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s own Pulitzer Prize-winning blockbuster was a landmark of post-World War II Broadway, a provocative romantic drama that beguiled audiences with a hit parade of instant standards. Last June, “South Pacific” reached new heights when, for one enchanted evening, Carnegie Hall presented a magnificent concert production with a dream cast headed by Reba McEntire, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Jason Danieley, Lillias White, and Alec Baldwin. Directed for the concert stage by Walter Bobbie, with musical director Paul Gemignani conducting the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the performance was acclaimed by THE NEW YORK TIMES as “a state of nearly unconditional rapture,” praising the production for locating “the show’s real staying power in its operatic respect for love as a force that hurts, teases, destroys and ennobles.”

“South Pacific” was among Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most successful and critically acclaimed shows, winning nine Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, in 1950. Although its first Broadway revival will not occur until the 2007-08 season (when it is presented by Lincoln Center Theater), “South Pacific” has lived on in thousands of productions, both professional and amateur, over the years, as well as in two movie versions.

Learn why “South Pacific” had to be a hit for the duo and the difficulties they encountered in presenting the controversial theme at the heart of the musical in the essay by contributor Thomas Hischak. See all the numbers from the musical in the song list, which includes links to video excerpts from the concert performance. Find photos from the original production in the Multimedia Presentation, and read an interview with musical theater star Brian Stokes Mitchell.

Special funding for the program was provided by The Rodgers Family Foundation and The LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust.